Our Team
Our team includes undergraduates, graduate students, faculty members, and administrators representing multiple fields of study (e.g., higher education, communications, medicine, social work) from several institutions. At least one member of the team is on the autism spectrum and three more have immediate family members on the autism spectrum.
Central Staff
A small group of central staff coordinating CAN’s major initiatives and managing the day-to-day operations of the College Autism Network…
Brad Cox
Executive Director & Director of Research
Dr. Bradley E. Cox is the Founder and Executive Director of the College Autism Network. He is also an Associate Professor of Higher Education at Florida State University and a Senior Research Associate at FSU's Center for Postsecondary Success. His work seeks to explain and improve the systemic, institutional, and personal conditions that shape college experiences and outcomes for students on the autism spectrum.
Lori Dowling
Graphic Designer
Lori Dowling is a Florida State University alumna with a degree in Family and Child Science. Although currently teaching English as a foreign language abroad, she has been volunteering with the College Autism Network since 2016. Her interest in the College Autism Network stems from having a cousin with a developmental disability in a country with few resources.
Lee Burdette Williams
Director of Higher Education Training and Development
Lee has been part of the student affairs profession for nearly three decades, including serving as Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Wheaton College (MA) and as Dean of Students at the University of Connecticut. Most recently she was the Director of Collegiate Partnerships for Mansfield Hall in Burlington, VT, where she provided training for colleges and universities seeking to improve their services to students on the Autism Spectrum.
Will Bell
Social Media Manager
Will is a biochemistry major at FSU with plans to attend medical school. He has a great interest in ASD as an evolving diagnosis and how families can best adapt to accommodate their child’s needs.
Brett Nachman
Graduate Student Researcher
Brett Ranon Nachman is a PhD Student in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in which his research primarily focuses on capturing the experiences of community college students and their transfer intent, as well as on understanding the portrayals and experiences of college students on the autism spectrum. Brett’s research interests stem from his own background as a community college graduate who has Asperger’s.
Yachen Luo
Data Analyst
Yachen is a Ph.D. student who majored in Educational Statistics & Measurement at FSU. Her research interests are Structural Equation Modeling and its application in Educational and Psychological areas.
Jeff Edelstein
Media and Networking Coordinator
Jeff Edelstein is a co-founder and Media and Networking Coordinator of the College Autism Network. Jeff is currently completing his Master’s in Higher Education Institutional Research at the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE) at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Jeff is especially interested in disability and disabled perspectives in higher education and how campus climate with respect to disability changes over time.
Previous Personnel
Plenty of wonderful people have contributed to the development of the College Autism Network. We are grateful for their involvement and thank them for their contributions here.